how to cook bacon in the oven without making a mess

The Foolproof Way to Cook Bacon in the Microwave

You can microwave bacon in less time than it takes to heat up your oven or skillet.

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If you're not used to cooking bacon in the microwave, it might sound like a terrible idea. But yes, you can cook bacon in the microwave in a matter of minutes, without any mess. When sandwiched between layers of paper towels, bacon cooked in the microwave comes out oh so crispy and delicious.

Can You Microwave Bacon?

It's been established that you can indeed cook bacon in the microwave, and there are several reasons why you might want to:

Pros

When bacon is cooked in layers of paper towels, all the fat is absorbed and there's little to no mess for you to clean up.
It only takes minutes.
Because the bacon is cooked for so much less time, and the fat is absorbed into the paper towels, the lingering grease smell is much less persistent.

As with anything, this cooking method is not perfect:

Cons

It's not the most environmentally friendly option, as it requires a lot of paper towels. That is why you might consider purchasing a microwave bacon cooker (more on that below).
It's easy to overcook if you don't check on it frequently.
You don't get to save any of the rendered bacon fat for future use.

cooked bacon on paper towel

Credit: Bill Brady/Getty Images

How Long to Microwave Bacon

In general it takes between 3 and 6 minutes to cook bacon in the microwave. This could vary depending on your microwave's wattage, how thick your bacon is, the type of bacon (turkey bacon will have a shorter cooking time), how much bacon you're cooking, and how crispy you want it to be. Bacon packages often include cooking instructions with times on how long to microwave. However, we recommend checking on your bacon after a few minutes to see how it's coming along. Because the microwave cooks the bacon so rapidly, it's very easy to overcook or even burn.

How to Microwave Bacon

Here's What You'll Need:

Microwave-safe plate or dish
Paper towels
Bacon

1. Line a plate with paper towels.

Line a microwave-safe plate or dish with two paper towels.

2. Arrange bacon on paper towels.

Arrange as many bacon slices as you can fit in a single layer on top of the paper towels, making sure none overlap.

3. Top with more paper towels.

Top with two more layers of paper towels.

Optional: If you have more bacon to cook, you can stack another layer of bacon on top of this layer of paper towels. Just be sure to add a final two layers of paper towels on top to prevent splatters.

4. Microwave.

Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes. Check the bacon. If it still looks translucent, continue to cook in 30 second bursts until it's as crispy as you like. With time, you'll be able to more accurately estimate how long it takes to cook bacon in your microwave.

5. Drain the fat.

Carefully remove the plate from the microwave (using oven mitts or a towel), transfer the cooked bacon to a fresh layer of paper towel, and drain for about two minutes. You can pat with an additional towel to absorb excess grease.

Tools for Microwaving Bacon Without Paper Towels

If you're going to be microwaving bacon somewhat regularly, you might consider purchasing one of these bacon cookers so you don't burn through your roll of paper towels so quickly. Here are a few top-rated cookers that reviewers are raving about.

Related:

The Easiest, No-Mess Way to Cook Bacon
Can You Cook Bacon in an Air Fryer?
Our 15 Best Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Recipes
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